Every song that charted in 1990

Combined ranking of all 269 songs from the alternative rock year-end countdowns of 1990. ← Top 100 of 1990

#	Song	Strength	Lists	Best	#1s
1	Nothing Compares 2 U Sinéad O'Connor	472	5	#1	1
2	The Only One I Know The Charlatans	451	6	#6	–
3	Blue Sky Mine Midnight Oil	403	5	#9	–
4	Enjoy the Silence Depeche Mode	389	4	#2	–
5	Here's Where The Story Ends The Sundays	378	5	#3	–
6	The Emperor's New Clothes Sinéad O'Connor	357	5	#12	–
7	Candy Iggy Pop	356	5	#3	–
8	Suicide Blonde INXS	350	4	#8	–
9	World In My Eyes Depeche Mode	340	4	#5	–
10	Wicked Game Chris Isaak	330	4	#7	–
11	I'm Free The Soup Dragons	328	4	#1	1
12	Been Caught Stealing Jane's Addiction	326	4	#1	1
13	Policy of Truth Depeche Mode	326	4	#2	–
14	Joey Concrete Blonde	321	4	#15	–
15	Cuts You Up Peter Murphy	314	4	#12	–
16	Never Enough The Cure	301	4	#2	–
17	Pictures of You The Cure	301	5	#4	–
18	Stop! Jane's Addiction	291	4	#6	–
19	Hippychick Soho	278	4	#5	–
20	November Spawned a Monster Morrissey	274	5	#16	–
21	Epic Faith No More	269	3	#6	–
22	Fools Gold The Stone Roses	261	3	#1	1
23	Step On Happy Mondays	261	5	#8	–
24	Night and Day U2	243	3	#14	–
25	Head Like a Hole Nine Inch Nails	240	4	#18	–
26	Ball and Chain Social Distortion	237	3	#8	–
27	Jealous Gene Loves Jezebel	235	3	#13	–
28	Don't Ask Me Public Image Ltd.	230	3	#6	–
29	Cradle of Love Billy Idol	228	3	#19	–
30	Tom's Diner DNA	225	3	#14	–
31	Pure The Lightning Seeds	223	3	#13	–
32	Kool Thing Sonic Youth	223	5	#30	–
33	Getting Away With It Electronic	212	4	#21	–
34	The Way You Do The Things You Do UB40	211	3	#20	–
35	Type Living Colour	211	3	#16	–
36	Only Tongue Can Tell The Trash Can Sinatras	200	3	#7	–
37	Head On The Jesus and Mary Chain	195	4	#21	–
38	More Sisters of Mercy	178	4	#23	–
39	So Hard Pet Shop Boys	169	4	#16	–
40	Strawberry Fields Forever Candy Flip	167	4	#39	–
41	Groove Is In The Heart Dee-Lite	166	3	#4	–
42	Room at the Top Adam Ant	164	3	#44	–
43	World in Motion New Order	162	4	#21	–
44	Here I Am (Come and Take Me) UB40	160	3	#18	–
45	Way Down Now World Party	156	4	#40	–
46	Personal Jesus Depeche Mode	156	2	#20	–
47	Hello I Love You The Cure	154	3	#35	–
48	Velouria The Pixies	151	3	#5	–
49	King of the Mountain Midnight Oil	147	2	#25	–
50	Loaded Primal Scream	145	2	#26	–
51	The Ship Song Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds	144	2	#7	–
52	God Tonight Real Life	139	3	#29	–
53	Crystal Clear The Darling Buds	138	3	#41	–
54	Metropolis The Church	138	3	#33	–
55	Roam The B-52's	133	3	#23	–
56	Ouija Board, Ouija Board Morrissey	127	2	#33	–
57	One Love The Stone Roses	126	3	#38	–
58	No Myth Michael Penn	124	3	#23	–
59	Istanbul (Not Constantinople) They Might Be Giants	122	2	#24	–
60	Iceblink Luck Cocteau Twins	119	3	#22	–
61	Good Morning Britain Aztec Camera	116	2	#22	–
62	Forgotten Years Midnight Oil	110	2	#38	–
63	Cubic 808 State	108	2	#15	–
64	I'll Be Your Chauffeur David J.	107	2	#17	–
65	What is Love Dee-Lite	106	2	#29	–
66	Never Do That The Pretenders	105	2	#42	–
67	That's A Lie! Too Much Joy	105	3	#51	–
68	Fury Eyes The Creatures	103	3	#32	–
69	I Don't Know Why I Love You The House of Love	101	4	#32	–
70	Show Me Your Soul Red Hot Chili Peppers	101	2	#40	–
71	Bill Is Dead The Fall	100	1	#1	1
72	Hard Times The Scabs	100	1	#1	1
73	Soon My Bloody Valentine	98	1	#2	–
74	Ik Wil Je De Kreuners	97	1	#2	–
75	Onion Skin Boom Crash Opera	97	2	#36	–
76	Dreams Burn Down Ride	96	1	#3	–
77	Like A Daydream Ride	94	1	#4	–
78	Can't Be Sure The Sundays	93	2	#18	–
79	Tunic (Song For Karen) Sonic Youth	92	1	#5	–
80	This Is How It Feels Inspiral Carpets	92	2	#51	–
81	Birdhouse In Your Soul They Might Be Giants	92	2	#35	–
82	Post Post Modern Man Devo	91	2	#49	–
83	Prodigal Blues Billy Idol	90	2	#43	–
84	Parachute Something Happens	90	1	#4	–
85	All On You (Perfume) Paris Angels	90	1	#6	–
86	Falling to Pieces Faith No More	89	2	#40	–
87	Make Me Smile (Come Up & See Me) Wedding Present	88	1	#7	–
88	Hello The Beloved	86	3	#66	–
89	Ice Ice Baby Vanilla Ice	84	1	#15	–
90	The Obvious Child Paul Simon	84	2	#49	–
91	Corduroy Wedding Present	84	1	#9	–
92	Blauw The Scene	83	1	#6	–
93	Shall We Take a Trip Northside	83	1	#19	–
94	Loving You The Orb	82	1	#10	–
95	Falling Julee Cruise	82	2	#50	–
96	Gimme Hope Jo'anna Eddy Grant	81	2	#46	–
97	Everything Flows Teenage Fanclub	80	1	#11	–
98	Disappear INXS	80	2	#27	–
99	Justify My Love Madonna	78	2	#53	–
100	I'm Hardly Ever Wrong Would Be's	78	1	#12	–
101	Sea of Sin Depeche Mode	77	1	#25	–
102	Heart Like a Wheel The Human League	77	2	#44	–
103	This And That Michael Penn	77	2	#31	–
104	Rigoureus The Scene	77	1	#8	–
105	Different Drum The Lemonheads	76	1	#13	–
106	That's Just The Way It is Baby The Rembrandts	75	1	#27	–
107	Tom's Diner Suzanne Vega	75	1	#24	–
108	Big New Fast Automatic Daffodils	74	1	#14	–
109	U Can't Touch This MC Hammer	73	1	#25	–
110	Butterfly on a Wheel Mission U.K.	73	3	#74	–
111	Song For Whoever The Beautiful South	72	1	#26	–
112	Violence of Summer Duran Duran	72	3	#58	–
113	White Lightning The Fall	72	1	#15	–
114	Harold and Joe The Cure	71	2	#57	–
115	Out of Control Oingo Boingo	70	1	#28	–
116	I Need You The Scabs	70	1	#10	–
117	Should She Cry Wire Train	69	1	#34	–
118	Motorcycle Mama The Sugarcubes	68	1	#30	–
119	The Power Snap	67	1	#31	–
120	Star Erasure	66	1	#37	–
121	Don't Talk, Just Kiss Wedding Present	66	1	#18	–
122	Story of My Life Social Distortion	64	1	#40	–
123	Wash Your Face In My Sink The Dream Warriors	63	1	#34	–
124	Kinky Afro Happy Mondays	62	2	#32	–
125	Blue Savannah Erasure	62	2	#45	–
126	Heather Wedding Present	62	1	#20	–
127	Living in Oblivion Anything Box	60	1	#43	–
128	What's a Woman Vaya Con Dios	60	1	#13	–
129	Kaleidoscope The Boo Radleys	60	1	#21	–
130	Lightning Man Nitzer Ebb	60	2	#61	–
131	A Strange Kind of Love Peter Murphy	60	2	#60	–
132	Tomorrow Wendy Concrete Blonde	59	1	#45	–
133	Crawl Wedding Present	58	1	#22	–
134	House The Psychedelic Furs	58	1	#46	–
135	She Ain't Pretty The Northern Pikes	58	1	#39	–
136	Thunderstruck AC/DC	58	2	#46	–
137	Merry Go Round The Replacements	57	2	#52	–
138	Time The Scabs	57	1	#14	–
139	Put the Message in a Box World Party	56	1	#41	–
140	Sliver Nirvana	56	1	#23	–
141	Skin Oingo Boingo	55	1	#49	–
142	I am Stretched on Your Grave Sinéad O'Connor	54	1	#42	–
143	The Happening The Pixies	54	1	#24	–
144	L.A. Woman Billy Idol	54	1	#43	–
145	Biting My Nails Renegade Soundwave	54	1	#50	–
146	Gimme Love The Radios	53	1	#15	–
147	Heaven or Las Vegas Cocteau Twins	53	1	#51	–
148	Yesterday Girl The Smithereens	52	1	#52	–
149	Vogue Madonna	52	1	#44	–
150	Taste Ride	52	1	#25	–
151	All I want The Lightning Seeds	51	1	#53	–
152	Rollercoaster The Jesus and Mary Chain	51	1	#53	–
153	Home Iggy Pop	51	1	#46	–
154	Still Got The Blues Gary Moore	50	1	#16	–
155	Kill Your Television Ned's Atomic Dustbin	50	1	#26	–
156	The Road The Alarm	49	1	#47	–
157	Down In It Nine Inch Nails	49	1	#47	–
158	Who Wants To Be A Millionaire Thompson Twins	48	1	#56	–
159	Sweetness & Light Lush	48	1	#27	–
160	Piccadily Palare Morrissey	48	1	#48	–
161	Drifting Falling The Ocean Blue	48	1	#57	–
162	Jealous of Youth The The	47	1	#57	–
163	Dig for Fire The Pixies	47	2	#49	–
164	What Happened to You The Call	46	1	#50	–
165	Polar Bear The Charlatans	46	1	#28	–
166	Brave New World Michael Penn	46	1	#59	–
167	Nite And Day U2	45	1	#59	–
168	Mr. Cab Driver Lenny Kravitz	45	2	#65	–
169	Commercial Rain Inspiral Carpets	44	1	#51	–
170	Slave Revenge	44	1	#60	–
171	The Wagon Dinosaur Jr.	44	1	#29	–
172	A Girl Like You The Smithereens	43	2	#62	–
173	Piccadilly Palare Morrissey	42	1	#62	–
174	Blood Outta Stone The Fall	42	1	#30	–
175	Bitter Tears INXS	41	1	#64	–
176	Time After Time (Muffin Mix) The Beloved	41	1	#54	–
177	I Built This Garden For Us Lenny Kravitz	40	1	#65	–
178	Sex Gorilla National Velvet	40	1	#55	–
179	Unchained Melody U2	38	1	#67	–
180	Got the Time Anthrax	37	2	#74	–
181	Lonesome Zorro Arno	37	1	#20	–
182	Blues For Ceaucescu Fatima Mansions	36	1	#33	–
183	The King Is Half-Undressed Jellyfish	36	1	#69	–
184	Real Real Gone Van Morrison	34	1	#60	–
185	Pro-Gen The Shamen	34	1	#34	–
186	Obscurity Knocks The Trash Can Sinatras	34	1	#72	–
187	Arme Joe Noordkaap	33	1	#21	–
188	Das Omen Mysterious Art	33	1	#72	–
189	My Definition of A Boombastic Jazz Style The Dream Warriors	32	1	#62	–
190	Telephone Thing The Fall	32	1	#35	–
191	Serious Duran Duran	31	1	#75	–
192	Faith Healing Ian McCulloch	30	1	#75	–
193	Deliverance Mission U.K.	30	1	#64	–
194	Move Mountains Jesus Jones	30	1	#76	–
195	Girl With a Problem The Northern Pikes	29	1	#65	–
196	Any Way That You Want Me Spiritualized	28	1	#37	–
197	Made for T.V. King Apparatus	28	1	#66	–
198	Everybody Knows Concrete Blonde	27	1	#79	–
199	Scratching the Whole Bootsauce	27	1	#67	–
200	Faith and Healing Ian McCulloch	26	1	#68	–
201	Dreamtime The Heart Throbs	26	2	#87	–
202	House Babes In Toyland	26	1	#38	–
203	Groovy Train The Farm	26	2	#47	–
204	Every Beat of My Heart The Railway Children	25	1	#80	–
205	Blue Period The Smithereens	25	1	#69	–
206	Downtown Lloyd Cole	25	1	#81	–
207	Close to Me The Cure	24	1	#70	–
208	Dalliance Wedding Present	24	1	#39	–
209	Purity New Model Army	24	1	#82	–
210	Pretty Pink Rose Adrian Belew	23	1	#71	–
211	Everybody, Everybody Black Box	22	1	#71	–
212	Sleep Alone The Wonderstuff	22	1	#84	–
213	Then The Charlatans	21	2	#81	–
214	A Little Time The Beautiful South	21	1	#72	–
215	Niceness Pato Banton	21	1	#73	–
216	She's On Drugs Jazz Butcher	21	1	#85	–
217	Every Beat of the Heart The Railway Children	21	1	#86	–
218	Summer of '69 Bryan Adams	20	1	#25	–
219	Chicago, Now! The Fall	20	1	#41	–
220	Beatles and Stones The House of Love	20	1	#87	–
221	Little Fluffy Clouds The Orb	18	1	#42	–
222	Love Takes Time Mariah Carey	18	1	#75	–
223	Domino Clouseau	17	1	#26	–
224	Ride on Time Black Box	17	1	#76	–
225	And You Strawberry Zots	16	1	#90	–
226	God Knows It's True Teenage Fanclub	16	1	#43	–
227	Halo Depeche Mode	16	1	#91	–
228	Between Something and Nothing The Ocean Blue	16	1	#77	–
229	You're Amazing Robert Palmer	15	1	#78	–
230	Flaming Sword The Lightning Seeds	15	1	#91	–
231	Golden Blunders The Posies	15	1	#92	–
232	Black Cat Janet Jackson	14	1	#78	–
233	Smallville Bazooka Joe	14	1	#92	–
234	Met hart en ziel Tröckener Kecks	13	1	#27	–
235	Pray MC Hammer	13	1	#79	–
236	Unbelievable EMF	13	1	#94	–
237	Staring at the Sun Ultra Vivid Scene	12	1	#94	–
238	Business Breeding Ground	12	1	#80	–
239	Nothing Special Bastro	12	1	#45	–
240	Leave Me Alone The Cavedogs	11	1	#95	–
241	When the River Runs Dry Hunters And Collectors	11	1	#96	–
242	Fun To Be Had Nitzer Ebb	10	1	#96	–
243	Blankenberge Hugo Matthysen	10	1	#28	–
244	Stepping Stone The Farm	10	1	#46	–
245	Right Here, Right Now Jesus Jones	9	1	#97	–
246	Someone Take the Wheel The Replacements	9	2	#86	–
247	Close to You Maxi Priest	9	1	#83	–
248	Kiss This Thing Goodbye Del Amitri	9	1	#84	–
249	Bikini Girls With Machine Guns The Cramps	8	1	#98	–
250	Inside Out Crash Vegas	8	1	#84	–
251	Tomorrow Never Knows Danielle Dax	8	1	#99	–
252	Paint It Black The Rolling Stones	7	1	#29	–
253	This Side of Love Terence Trent D'Arby	7	1	#85	–
254	Hello, Hello, Hello, Hello, Hello (Petrol) Something Happens	7	1	#100	–
255	Alison The Pixies	6	1	#48	–
256	Hey Venus That Petrol Emotion	6	1	#101	–
257	The Humpty Dance Digital Underground	4	1	#87	–
258	When the Lights Go Out Oingo Boingo	4	1	#88	–
259	Places And Names The Family Cat	4	1	#103	–
260	Special One Ultra Vivid Scene	4	1	#104	–
261	Smoke Crash Vegas	3	1	#88	–
262	A Life of Sundays The Waterboys	3	1	#89	–
263	Last Tree MC Buzz B	3	1	#104	–
264	Broken Heart Red Flag	2	1	#90	–
265	Beast Inside Inspiral Carpets	2	1	#50	–
266	Creep Mute Angst Envy	2	1	#105	–
267	Give It Up The Hothouse Flowers	1	1	#90	–
268	Don Henley Must Die Mojo Nixon	1	1	#106	–
269	Silent Night Lewisidal Tendencies	1	1	#107	–